By Jill Williams
“March is mostly a winter month….this is a month of promise, but also one of caution.”
– Bob Thomson The New Victory Garden
At this time of year I always look at my garden journal to see when the first bulbs appeared last year. I know that this date is different every year but it still provides a kind of reassurance that spring is out there.
It was on March 15 last year when the first bulbs were visible on the warm west side of the house. The first crocuses flowered on March 21st. And, of course, the first bees appear as soon as the first crocus opens. I have always wondered how they know.
The indoor plants have been slow to start their new growth this year. This usually happens early in February once the days get longer. Maybe they were upset by the extreme cold this year. I know that I didn’t like it very much.
It cheers me up to see the trailing rosemary in flower when it’s still cold out. And the little echeveria starts to grow its flower stalks in December. By the time it’s warm enough to put it out on the porch for the summer, it will have many tiny red flowers that attract the hummingbirds.
It has seemed to me that in February this year many storms were predicted that never materialized. I have learned to pay attention to how much activity is happening at the birdfeeder; this has turned out to accurately predict storms and snow accumulation. If there’s a lot of activity at the feeder, then there will actually be a storm. I stayed home on a few days when big storms were predicted and I learned that I should have trusted the birds.
As well as being a good predicter of storms, the bird feeder also provided some drama this year. At one point I looked out to see a small hawk hanging upside down by one leg close to the feeder. I first thought that it might be injured but it was actually quickly dis-patching a blue jay. It then flew away with the blue jay which was only slightly smaller than it was. And I was surprised to see that a visiting fisher lacked the manual dexterity to takedown the suet feeder. It certainly tried but it was unsuccessful. Raccoons, on the other hand, have carried many suet feeders off into the bush which have never been seen again. Fortunately there have been no return visits from either the hawk or the fisher.
Like most people I’m fed up with winter as we head into March. Deep snow has made skiing the most practical way to get to the composters down by the garden. And I have had to use snowshoes to dump the ashes from the stove. I have never had to ski or snowshoe to accomplish these tasks before. I have discovered that I’m not a big fan of the snow-shoes; they’re awkward and it’s astounding to me that anyone goes out of their way to do this as a recreational activity.
It’s discouraging that the first part of March is always still winter. This part of the year feels endless but it eventually gives way to the beginning of spring. I look forward to watching all of the snowmelt and seeing the first bulbs emerge.
I’m already thinking about the first seeds which will get planted as soon as the snowmelts. One of these is to eat, snow peas, and the other, sweet peas, is for fragrant cut flowers. The support for the sweet peas will need to be rebuilt this year. It was only ever a temporary construction made of hazel and grapevine but it has held together for a few years now. But I think its time has run out and that will be an enjoyable job once we start getting warm sunny days again.
Didn’t the groundhog say early spring? One can only hope.